Girls volleyball tournament takes extra step to honor John Riding’s memory

Buchanan High beat Clovis North on Saturday afternoon for the championship of a girls volleyball tournament that’s about so much more than wins and losses.

The third annual John Riding Memorial honors the ex-Hoover High coach who died in May 2014. Each year since, teams from around the state have gathered to honor his memory with his family in attendance.

A special part of the annual event is a grant award. Each participating team nominates a player for consideration and the Riding family chooses players who epitomize John Riding’s spirit. The awards are anything but an afterthought – grant recipients are honored at a noontime ceremony between the end of pool play and the start of championship bracket play at Clovis North.

Receiving $1,000 grants Saturday were Shaye Dubberke of Buchanan and Jayde Westphal of San Luis Obispo.

Buchanan defeated Clovis North 25-20, 25-16 in the championship match to finish a 7-0 tournament. Buchanan’s Mikayla Weiss was tournament most valuable player. Clovis North went 5-2. Twenty teams participated.

“We brought in some of the best teams,” Clovis North coach Travis Herb said. “It was an overall great tournament and we try to make it extra special for everybody, especially the Riding family.”

This story was originally published September 23, 2017 at 7:10 PM with the headline "Girls volleyball tournament takes extra step to honor John Riding’s memory."